di·rect

[dih-rekt, dahy-]
verb (used with object)
1.
to manage or guide by advice, helpful information, instruction, etc.: He directed the company through a difficult time.
2.
to regulate the course of; control: History is directed by a small number of great men and women.
3.
to administer; manage; supervise: She directs the affairs of the estate.
4.
to give authoritative instructions to; command; order or ordain: I directed him to leave the room.
5.
to serve as a director in the production or performance of (a musical work, play, motion picture, etc.).
6.
to guide, tell, or show (a person) the way to a place: I directed him to the post office.
7.
to point, aim, or send toward a place or object: to direct radio waves around the globe.
8.
to channel or focus toward a given result, object, or end (often followed by to or toward ): She directed all her energies toward the accomplishment of the work.
9.
to address (words, a speech, a written report, etc.) to a person or persons: The secretary directed his remarks to two of the committee members.
10.
to address (a letter, package, etc.) to an intended recipient.
verb (used without object)
11.
to act as a guide.
12.
to give commands or orders.
13.
to serve as the director of a play, film, orchestra, etc.
00:10
Direct is one of our favorite verbs.
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to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.
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adjective
14.
proceeding in a straight line or by the shortest course; straight; undeviating; not oblique: a direct route.
15.
proceeding in an unbroken line of descent; lineal rather than collateral: a direct descendant.
16.
Mathematics.
a.
(of a proportion) containing terms of which an increase (or decrease) in one results in an increase (or decrease) in another: a term is said to be in direct proportion to another term if one increases (or decreases) as the other increases (or decreases).
b.
(of a function) the function itself, in contrast to its inverse. Compare inverse ( def 2 ).
17.
without intervening persons, influences, factors, etc.; immediate; personal: direct contact with the voters; direct exposure to a disease.
18.
straightforward; frank; candid: the direct remarks of a forthright individual.
19.
absolute; exact: the direct opposite.
20.
consisting exactly of the words originally used; verbatim: direct quotation.
21.
Government. of or by action of voters, which takes effect without representatives or another intervening agency, as in direct democracy.
22.
inevitable; consequential: War will be a direct result of such political action.
23.
allocated for or arising from a particular known agency, process, job, etc.: The new machine was listed by the accountant as a direct cost.
24.
Electricity. of or pertaining to direct current.
25.
Astronomy.
a.
moving in an orbit in the same direction as the earth in its revolution around the sun.
b.
appearing to move on the celestial sphere in the direction of the natural order of the signs of the zodiac, from west to east. Compare retrograde ( def 4 ).
26.
Surveying. (of a telescope) in its normal position; not inverted or transited.
27.
(of dye colors) working without the use of a mordant; substantive.
adverb
28.
in a direct manner; directly; straight: Answer me direct.
Origin:
1325–75; Middle English direct (adj., adv.), directen (v.) (< Anglo-French) < Latin dīrēctus, dērēctus (the latter probably the orig. form, later reanalyzed as dī- di-2), past participle of dērigere to align, straighten, guide (dē- de- + -rigere, combining form of regere to guide, rule)

Related forms
di·rect·a·ble, adjective
di·rect·ness, noun
pre·di·rect, verb (used with object)
self-di·rect·ing, adjective
sem·i·di·rect, adjective
sem·i·di·rect·ness, noun

Synonyms
1. See guide. 4. Direct, order, command mean to issue instructions. Direct suggests also giving explanations or advice; the emphasis is not on the authority of the director, but on steps necessary for the accomplishing of a purpose. Order connotes a personal relationship in which one in a superior position imperatively instructs a subordinate to do something. Command less personal and, often, less specific in detail, suggests greater formality and, sometimes, a more fixed authority on the part of the superior. 18. open, sincere, outspoken.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
direct (dɪˈrɛkt, daɪ-) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb
1.  to regulate, conduct, or control the affairs of
2.  (also intr) to give commands or orders with authority to (a person or group): he directed them to go away
3.  to tell or show (someone) the way to a place
4.  to aim, point, or cause to move towards a goal
5.  to address (a letter, parcel, etc)
6.  to address (remarks, words, etc): to direct comments at someone
7.  (also intr) to provide guidance to (actors, cameramen, etc) in the rehearsal of a play or the filming of a motion picture
8.  (also intr)
 a.  to conduct (a piece of music or musicians), usually while performing oneself
 b.  another word (esp US) for conduct
 
—adj
9.  without delay or evasion; straightforward: a direct approach
10.  without turning aside; uninterrupted; shortest; straight: a direct route
11.  without intervening persons or agencies; immediate: a direct link
12.  honest; frank; candid: a direct answer
13.  (usually prenominal) precise; exact: a direct quotation
14.  diametrical: the direct opposite
15.  in an unbroken line of descent, as from father to son over succeeding generations: a direct descendant
16.  (of government, decisions, etc) by or from the electorate rather than through representatives
17.  logic, maths Compare indirect proof (of a proof) progressing from the premises to the conclusion, rather than eliminating the possibility of the falsehood of the conclusion
18.  astronomy Compare retrograde moving from west to east on the celestial sphere
19.  a.  of or relating to direct current
 b.  (of a secondary induced current) having the same direction as the primary current
20.  music
 a.  See motion (of motion) in the same direction
 b.  (of an interval or chord) in root position; not inverted
 
—adv
21.  directly; straight: he went direct to the office
 
[C14: from Latin dīrectus; from dīrigere to guide, from dis- apart + regere to rule]
 
di'rectness
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

direct
late 14c., from L. directus "straight," pp. of dirigere "set straight," from dis- "apart" + regere "to guide" (see regal). The adj. is from late 14c. Related: Directed; directing.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Finding the right place to shoot, out of the direct sunlight, really helps her
  face look as beautiful as it is.
But the encouraging signals that these moves send matter even more than their
  direct effects.
The advantage of such a spray is that you don't have to necessarily direct it
  on to offenders face.
Its intricate system of self-rule by an active citizenry remains an archetype
  of the direct or participatory sort.
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